Emotional Muamba 'gets closure' with return to scene of heart seizure

Closure for Muamba – Fabrice Muamba wept as he addressed the crowd at White Hart Lane -- the English soccer ground where he collapsed due to cardiac arrest during a match in March 2012.

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Muamba returns to scene of seizure8 photos

Eyes of the world – His collapse while playing for Bolton in an FA Cup match against Tottenham was seen by a worldwide television audience -- and the cameras were there again on his first return to the London stadium in November the same year.

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Muamba returns to scene of seizure8 photos

Capital action – Before attending the Europa League match, Muamba had been at London's O2 Arena to watch tennis star Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals.

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Old friends – Muamba announced his retirement from football in August 2012, but the following month he attended a match played by his former club Bolton, which has dropped into the second division.

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Flame still burns – Muamba took part in the Olympic torch relay for the London 2012 Games. Here he lights the cauldron on day 64 of the flame's 8,000-mile journey around the UK.

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Wembley guest – In May 2012, he and his now wife Shauna were guests at the FA Cup final, which was won by Chelsea.

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Life saver – His life was saved by cardiologist Andrew Deaner, a Tottenham fan who came out of the crowd to help with his resuscitation.

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Heart stops – Muamba collapsed before halftime and the match was abandoned as he was taken to hospital after receiving several defibrillator shocks to restart his heart, which stopped for 78 minutes. He was discharged only a month later after making a remarkably quick recovery.

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Story highlights

Fabrice Muamba receives standing ovation as he returns to White Hart Lane for first time

Muamba collapsed at the London soccer stadium during a match in March

His heart stopped for 78 minutes, but he was saved by a cardiologist from the crowd

Muamba is raising awareness for heart problems since being forced to retire

Soccer player Fabrice Muamba has made an emotional first return to the ground where he suffered a career-ending heart seizure in March.

At halftime, Muamba came onto the same pitch where he collapsed while playing for his former club Bolton eight months ago -- his heart stopped for 78 minutes but he was resuscitated and later made a remarkable recovery in hospital.

However, the Zaire-born England under-21 international was unable to resume his playing career and he officially quit the game in August.

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Muamba: I've played football again

Bolton player Fabrice Muamba lies prone on the pitch after collapsing before halftime during the English FA Cup quarterfinal away to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

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Fabrice Muamba collapses during match8 photos

Players from both teams, as well as Bolton manager Owen Coyle, far right, watch as the England under-21 international is treated by medics.

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Tottenham's Rafael Van der Vaart was one of many players who offered their support for Muamba via micro-blogging website Twitter.

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Fabrice Muamba collapses during match8 photos

The 23-year-old was carried off the pitch at White Hart Lane and taken to a hospital in London. The game was abandoned.

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Muamba has been at the Premier League club since 2008, when he signed in an $8 million transfer from English rivals Birmingham.

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Fabrice Muamba collapses during match8 photos

Muamba made his name at Birmingham City, where he made a permanent move in 2007 after impressing while on loan from English Premier League club Arsenal.

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Muamba came to England in 1999 after his family left his homeland, the Democratic Republic of Congo. He represented his adopted country at under-21 level at the 2009 European Championship.

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Muamba had limited first-team opportunities at Arsenal, but appeared in a League Cup match against Reading in November 2005.

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EXPAND GALLERY

Tributes to Fabrice Muamba 8 photos

Tributes to Fabrice Muamba8 photos

'Miraculous' Muamba – Doctors have described Fabrice Muamba's progress since his cardiac arrest during a match on Saturday as "miraculous." The Bolton star's heart stopped beating for 78 minutes after his collapse but now he is talking and joking with visitors.

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Tributes to Fabrice Muamba8 photos

Messi wishes Muamba well – Barcelona's Lionel Messi wore a t-shirt with a message of support for Muamba before Wednesday's game with Granada, in which the Argentina striker scored a hat-trick and became the club's leading goalscorer of all time.

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Bolton to face Blackburn – Bolton announced Thursday they will fulfill their Premier League fixture with local rivals Blackburn on Saturday after postponing the midweek clash with Aston Villa. Before Blackburn's win over Sunderland on Wednesday their players offered messages of support for Muamba.

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Fans pay tribute – Bolton Wanderers fans have left flowers and scarves outside the English club's Reebok Stadium in support of Muamba, while most of the playing squad have been to visit him in the London Chest Hospital.

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Tributes to Fabrice Muamba8 photos

Ex-teammate honors Muamba – Muamba's former teammate Gary Cahill, who left Bolton to join Chelsea in January, revealed a t-shirt honoring his ex-colleague after scoring against Leicester City on Sunday.

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International support – Tributes were paid to Muamba from across the footballing world. Real Madrid's players took to the pitch before last Sunday's Spanish league match with Malaga wearing shirts displaying a message of support for the midfielder.

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Best wishes – Fans at Liverpool's FA Cup quarterfinal against Stoke City send their best wishes to Muamba. Supporters also chanted his name at various points during Sunday's Anfield match.

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Muamba 'In effect dead for 78 minutes'

Before Thursday's Europa League match against Maribor, Tottenham's website hailed Muamba as an "inspiration" and referred to his work with the "Hearts & Goals" campaign -- which aims to give communities across the UK access to 500 new defibrillators, as well as training.

"Amazing day at WHL tonight. Thank you guys for everythings spurs fans tonight were awesome. Thank you," Muamba wrote on Twitter -- the web platform where his then fiancee and now wife Shauna kept fans around the world updated about his recovery.

He earlier revealed: "Off to white hart lane, for the first time the incident happen. I am so nervous is unreal. Hope spurs win tonight."

Muamba got his wish, as Tottenham beat Slovenian side Maribor 3-1 to bounce back from two Premier League defeats and boost the club's hopes of progressing in the second-tier European competition.

Muamba's longtime friend, England international striker Jermain Defoe, scored all three goals for Tottenham to put the club second in Group J behind Italian side Lazio -- which also won, 3-0 against Greece's Panathinaikos.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas was not in charge when Muamba collapsed, but he welcomed the former Birmingham and Arsenal player in his prematch program notes.

"What happened to Fabrice at this stadium eight months ago has obviously changed his life forever," Villas-Boas wrote.

"Everyone in the game and the wider footballing world was delighted to see him make a full recovery. We are thrilled to have him here tonight and I would like to wish him the very best for the future."